No Below
by AllisonWonderland421
Summary: Blake is kidnapped and tortured by Roman Torchwick in hopes that Ozpin will hand over information regarding the Fall Maiden. In the aftermath, how will they put a broken Blake back together? Will contain self-harm, suicide attempt, torture, and mentions of rape! Please don't read if these things trigger you. I suck at summaries, but I promise the story isn't all that bad.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Heyo! Just a tiny warning or the angst ahead. Mention of torture but no gore. First angst RWBY fic I've published and I'm hoping the characters aren't too OOC. Should be updated regularly :) This fic is set in Volume 2- Early Volume 3. Contains Bumblby if you squint! Enjoy, kiddos!**_

A day without an argument between Weiss and Blake was rare, almost nonexistent. It was almost as if Weiss existed to antagonize Blake's existence, and vice versa. But their team usually managed to push through the childish pettiness, focus on the task on hand, and get the job done.

This time was different. As Weiss fired off insult after insult toward the Faunus, Blake didn't have any witty retort prepared. She didn't even try to defend herself. She just nodded, opening the bedroom door and storming off.

"What's her problem?" Weiss grumbled, climbing into her bunk. Yang rolled her eyes so hard that she thought they might've gone backward into her skull.

"You're her problem, Weiss!" Yang exclaimed. "This arguing's her problem!"

"She started it." Weiss scoffed, turning over under her sheets.

"You sound like a five year old." Yang sighed, her words falling on deaf ears. She glanced over toward her sister, who was still sitting at the desk with her notes in front of her. Yang strolled over and leaned against the side.

"Workin hard or hardly workin?" She asked, trying to shrug off the events of the previous minutes.

"Is she… do you think she'll be back?" Ruby asked, her voice small. Yang put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder.

"You know Blake, she just needs to cool down. She'll be back in an hour. A couple, tops."

Ruby nodded, seemingly satisfied with Yang' answer. She promptly slammed her books shut, turned out the lamp and crawled her way into the top bunk. Yang did the same.

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYRWBY

By morning, Blake's bed still remained empty.

Yang tried not to let it bother her, assuring herself that Blake had probably just headed down to Sun and Neptune's dorm after the events from the previous night. But her theory soon proved untrue as she spoke with the pair in the hallway, finding that neither of them had seen Blake since class the day before.

Hours turned into days, and then days turned into weeks. It wasn't long before the mysterious disappearance of Blake Belladonna was all the hot gossip around campus, and the rumours of where she could have gone off to started to circulated. Only one thing remained congruent throughout the multiple stories.

In every single one, Weiss was the force that drove Blake away.

Weiss was no longer treated as a fearful ice queen. Many students, especially those close to Blake, opted to treat Weiss as less than a human being. Not that there were very many students that were that close with Blake. And although Weiss kept her stoic look and petty attitude, Yang could see the hurt underneath. It was obvious to anyone who looked hard enough that Weiss really was worried.

Three weeks after the incident, the remaining three members of team RWBY were called into Professor Ozpin's office just after classes had concluded for the day. As the girls filed in, each took note of the professor's downcast eyes.

"We've received news about your teammate, Miss Belladonna." Yang almost let herself light up with glee. Almost.

But his tone wasn't that of someone bearing good news.

"So… What was it?" Yang spoke up to break the awkward silence that echoed throughout the room.

"We've… we've received word that Blake went after Roman Torchwick alone."

"She did _what?_ " Weiss gasped. Yang felt her heart drop down into her stomach. What was Blake thinking? Torchwick had an army. Blake, although exceptionally talented, was still just one person. Trying to take on that entire army on her own was a suicide mission.

Ozpin laid his scroll out on the table, a large holographic version of the screen appearing in the space above it.

"I must tell you, what you're about to view is quite graphic." He warned.

The image made Yang gag.

Bloody knives, an old, scratched up table, and several different types of instruments that Yang could only assume were being used for… torture.

"Blake…" She heard Ruby whisper quietly. She wanted nothing more than to hug her little sister and tell her that everything would be okay, but the blonde found herself glued to her seat.

The video panned over the Torchwick, a sinister smirk playing across his face. "Hello, Ozpin!" The ginger spoke enthusiastically. "Now I was under the impression that up there at Beacon, you teach your students to obey your orders. But if that were true, how would this-" Yang felt bile rise in her throat as she watched Torchwick pull a dirty, bleeding Blake into the frame. "-play into my hands?"

"I'm gonna kill him." Yang stood, beginning to pace her way over to the door. _Nobody_ could hurt Blake that way, right? It was just some convincing acting, some good makeup. He wouldn't _dare_ do that to Blake. _Yang's_ Blake. Yang had no idea why Blake would play along, but she was sure it was a good reason.

"Miss Xiao Long, please wait." Yang was brought from her train of thought by Ozpin, who had paused the video when Yang got up.

Blake would never cause her friends to worry about her and to fear for her life, like Yang thought.

Her partner was in trouble.

As much as she hated to, Yang sat down once again to endure the rest of the clip.

"Now here's the deal." Torchwick held Blake in a loose chokehold, one that the Faunus could've easily escaped were she at her full strength. Yang watched her partner's eyes as they brimmed with tears, pain, and anguish. She just wanted to pull Blake through the screen, to hold her in her arms and to never let go. "You, Ozpin, will not send any of your students after her. Especially Little Red. She gives me enough trouble as it is."

All eyes shot over to Ruby, who kept her eyes trailed toward the video footage. "I will, however, consider giving her back in exchange for information. What kind of information, you may ask? Oh, I don't know, just some intel on the whereabouts of the Fall Maiden." Torchwick stroked the side of Blake's face, and it pained Yang to see the girl flinch under his touch. "And yes Ozpin, I know you know what I'm talking about."

A look of dismay crossed Ozpin's face. "You know how to get hold of me if and when you're willing to make the exchange. And remember," Torchwick held Blake by her hair, causing her to cry out in anguish. "Every minute you spend not giving me what I want is another minute I spend ruining her."

The hologram closed up as the group sat in silence. Yang replayed the message in her mind, over and over again. _Another minute I spend ruining her…_

"Roman specifically warned me against sending any of my students." Ozpin picked his scroll up off of the desk. "But he knows me well enough to know that I would see this as a challenge, therefore he wants me to send the three of you to go retrieve your teammate."

"That… made no sense." Weiss shook her head, as the others did in unison. Yang was sure that whatever Ozpin had just said made sense to him.

"I don't see what the huge deal is. Just tell him what he wants to know." Yang stood over Ozpin's desk.

"I can't do that."

"So you're saying you would rather have her die?" Yang stifled back tears. Ozpin shook his head furiously.

"Giving Torchwick the information he requests would only put another student in danger." He explained, trying to coax Yang down from her state of anger and panic.

"We can't just sit around and do nothing!"

"Yang, please calm down. You can't help her in that state." Weiss spoke in a slightly shaky tone. Yang knew that Weiss felt remorseful for Blake's disappearance, and she knew that the heiress was genuinely invested in her rescue, but all of those facts were suddenly tossed out the window.

"And you!" Yang directed her anger toward the white haired huntress. "It's your fault that she's there in the first place!"

"Me?" Weiss sounded surprised.

"You screamed at her!"

"She ran of her own decision!"

"Ladies!" Ozpin was standing now, overpowering the both of them. The two immediately turned away from each other, heads bowed.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby spoke, her silver eyes glistening with tears as she looked toward the professor.

"You three will be doing nothing." The professor stated. "You're too emotionally invested in this mission. Your own feelings could put you in jeopardy. As your educator and mentor, I refuse to put you in that kind of danger, no matter how qualified you may think you are."

"What? No way!" Yang fumed, nearly knocking her chair over. "Blake's our teammate! She's my _partner!_ "

"You haven't fought Torchwick like we have. You have no idea what you're up against." Ruby cut in, her voice considerably lower than Yang's. "We know how they fight."

Ozpin thought for a moment. "I hadn't taken that into consideration." He mused aloud, scanning the three huntresses up and down. "Fine. You may accompany team CFVY on the mission. But be warned, step just a little bit out of line and you'll be on the sidelines faster than you can say Grimm."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: So, this chapter ended up being a little shorter than the last one. This is because I didn't want to put Blake's rescue and the aftermath in the same chapter. The next one should be longer! Warning for Blake's condition, but nothing extremely graphic. Enjoy!**_

Yang crept down one of the dank, musty hallways of the warehouse that they'd been sent to. Torchwick had sent Ozpin a set of coordinates for the exchange, and it was Yang's job to find Blake while the others kept the White Fang busy.

"Blake?" She whisper-called, careful not to attract the attention of any guards. "It's Yang."

It felt like she'd been searching for hours, shooting off the locks to random rooms and poking around inside, when she finally found it.

The room itself was dark, and smelled strongly of infection and vomit. As Yang pushed the door open further, all she could see strapped to a table to the side was-

No. No no no no. This wasn't happening. Maybe if she closed her eyes and counted to ten, the scene before her would vanish once she'd opened them. Yeah, that was it. Just a few seconds and the nightmare before her would be gone.

But try as she might, she couldn't unsee the horrific scene before her. Blake Belladonna, _her Blake Belladonna,_ shackled, blindfolded, and strapped down. The bruises, the gashes, the welts, the blood. That's just what she could see in the dim light and over the oversized white t-shirt that Blake wore.

This was not the time to freak out. Blake needed her, and she had no time to try and take this in.

"Blake?" Yang spoke softly, careful not to frighten the Faunus. She gained no response. "It's me. It's Yang." She placed her hand reassuringly on her partner's shoulder, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Yang saw tears cut through the layer of dirt that was caked on to Blake's face.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?" Yang tried to keep her voice steady, for Blake's sake. She wanted nothing more than to scream. Cry. Find Roman Torchwick and beat his ugly face in. Keep anyone from hurting Blake ever again.

She started with the blindfold. Slowly, carefully, two dazed and bloodshot eyes were revealed. Blake's golden iris' darted around the room, panicking, looking from one place to another.

"It's okay now. Nobody's gonna hurt you." Yang crooned reassuringly as she undid the shackles around Blake's wrists and ankles, resulting in an intense set of purple-black bruises.

Blake rolled herself over on her side, obviously relieved to have mobility of any kind. She pulled her legs up to her chest in a yelp of pain and began sobbing heavily into her knees.

"Blake? Come on, it's okay." Yang positioned herself on the edge of the table, eager to get her partner out of this hellhole and somewhere where she could get proper medical attention.

"It's just- they-" The Faunus sobbed, her voice scratchy and rasped. She looked up and Yang and despite the condition of her partner, smiled warmly down at her.

"We'll get you cleaned up back at Beacon and if you want to talk, you can. Sound good?" Blake nodded, allowing Yang to carefully pick her up off of the table and walk her out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: And the angst begins! Warning for Blake's mental condition. I honestly have never gotten this many follows on a fic so I'm hoping this is good enough for you guys :) I might not be able to update very frequently due to other things that need to be done first (ah, the joys of high school.) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**_

As Yang emerged from one of the many side doors of the building, she was surprised to find that it had fallen dark while she was inside. As she gently set Blake's shivering form down on the ground, the blonde pulled her scroll from her pocket and briskly dialed her sister's number.

"Yang! What's wrong?" She heard several grunts and clangs in the background on Ruby's end, indicating that the others were still in battle.

"I found Blake. Meet me on the ship, alright?" Ruby hung up before responding.

"How're you holding up?" Yang asked worriedly, kneeling to the ground and placing a hand on her partner's forehead. Just hovering her palm near Blake's skin felt as though she were holding her hand over a stove burner.

Blake mumbled something incoherent, but that's all Yang really expected. The fever that the Faunus had didn't seem to be going down anytime soon. Yang warned Blake to brace herself as she scooped her up into her arms once again, walking swiftly to the airship that was parked just a few minutes away.

Once they boarded, Yang placed Blake down on a mat near the corner. "I'll get you a blanket, okay?" Blake nodded slowly as Yang took off to one of the separate rooms, grabbing several blankets from a pile on the ground. It was Ruby's idea to bring blankets and a pillow along for the ride, which Yang was now thankful for.

As she approached her partner with the blankets balanced on her arm, the blonde looked down at Blake and her heart dropped like a stone. The Faunus' eyes, awake and alert, were trained on the ceiling. Her breaths were coming out in short gasps. Her hands were curled into fists, and she yelped as though she were in unimaginable pain. Yang dropped the blankets before rushing to her partner's side.

"Hey, Blake? Blake, come on." She didn't want to touch her friend because Blake might mistake it for Torchwick and _God,_ she didn't want Blake to think that she was trying to hurt her.

Against her better judgment, Yang rested a hand on Blake's shoulder. "It's okay. You're not there anymore." The blonde crooned, although it became difficult to comfort Blake when she herself was panicking. At first, the Faunus simply cried out, begging some imaginary force to stop. Even Yang started to beg for the imaginary force to stop, because seeing her partner, her _friend_ this way was by far the most heart-wrenching scene she'd ever experienced.

After a few moments, as the others began to board the ship, Blake's cries calmed into whimpers. She uncurled her fists, simply heaving herself onto her side and folding in on herself so tightly that Yang could hardly see her under the abundance of blankets. The blonde quietly shooed the others away, insisting that Blake needed her space. Of course, she was being entirely hypocritical as she kept herself close to her partner, telling herself that it was because Blake needed her but truthfully it was due to selfishness. Yang craved Blake's presence and if that meant lying to herself to get it, she'd do it.

Yang once again placed her hand on Blake's shoulder, but this time rubbed her partner's arm reassuringly in an attempt to calm her whimpering. "It's gonna be okay." Yang spoke softly, but she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more. Blake or herself.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't been making the chapters as long as the first one! Chapter one was setting up the scene for the rest of the story, hence why it was so long. I hope these frequent updates make up for the chapter length. Trigger warning for some self harm-like ideation. Hope you enjoy!**_

Not even ten minutes after landing, Blake was being rushed down the sterile white halls of the Beacon infirmary. Yang rushed hurriedly to keep up with the gurnee that her partner was being carried away on, but soon enough they'd reached a point that Yang was not allowed to pass. Yang understood and respected that rule, but this was _different._ Ozpin had to understand the circumstance.

"You don't understand! She needs me!" Yang found herself pleading, begging with Professor Ozpin, who stood stoically near the doorway. Ozpin simply sighed.

"Miss Belladonna is receiving the best care she can here." Yang listened to the Professor's words, but she didn't quite process them.

"Sir, she's terrified! You can't leave her in there alone!"

"Miss Xiao Long, I will not negotiate about this. You and your team have done well. You deserve some rest knowing that your partner will be okay."

Yang huffed in frustration, not even waiting up for Ruby or Weiss as she stormed off to their room. She wasn't angry with Ozpin; he was just saying what was right. She would only be getting in the way if she'd gone with Blake. She was mad at Torchwick. Or Weiss. Or herself. Maybe even Blake. Being upset with Blake only made her more angry at herself.

Without thinking, Yang angrily slammed her fist down onto the desk that she and Blake shared. It hurt like Hell as a burning pain ran up the length of her forearm, and she did leave a small indention in the wood, but it helped. She cursed as she held her hand in her other one, settling herself down on the desk chair. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but they weren't there because of the pain of punching the wood.

 _It's okay._ She heard a small voice say in her head, barely loud enough to call a whisper. _Go ahead._

And Yang sobbed. And she cursed and screamed and let out _3 weeks_ of pent up anger and sorrow, and she didn't stop even when Ruby and Weiss came back and begged her to calm down. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed this. She needed to yell and cry and feel something, even pain. Because the feeling of pain was better than feeling the numbness that had been present for almost a month. Pain meant she was alive, and it reminded her that Blake was too.

She faintly noticed two sets of hands helping her out of the chair, and then laying down somewhere soft. Most likely one of the bottom bunks. Weiss and Ruby must've helped her get there. At the moment, Yang couldn't have cared less. She screamed at the thought of Torchwick. She cursed when she felt the pain from her first stinging it's way up her arm. And she sobbed uncontrollably when she thought of Blake, probably scared and alone in the infirmary with unfamiliar faces surrounding her. Yang just continued on sobbing and screeching until she'd cried every tear out of her body, and even then she continued on until her mind drifted off into dreamless darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: So before you bring out the pitchforks, I have a perfectly good explanation as to why I haven't updated in 54 years. She's a demon, and her name is World Geography.  
For real though, I honestly didn't expect school to put as much of a strain on me as it did. Hopefully I can get back on track with this story though and maybe even start writing some new ones (I'm always open to suggestions!) Without further adue, have some angst kiddos.**_

Soft. Warm.

Wherever Blake was, it was soft and warm. She could feel a heavy blanket weighing down on her body, and a cold napkin pressed against her forehead.

Just cracking her eyes open felt like a tremendous task. The Faunus cringed as the light entered, invading her vision entirely and making her head ache. She tried to use her arm to block it, but found herself unable to move the limb at all.

She was restrained. She had to be. Blake could feel her heart pumping out of her chest as she waited in fearful anticipation, because being restrained in a bed instead of on the table meant that they were about to-

"Miss Belladonna! Awake, I see." A voice interrupted her thoughts, one that sounded pleasant and light. Blake turned her head to the side, letting her eyes adjust as well as they could. Standing near her bedside was a woman, one who looked somewhat familiar but still like a stranger. She must have seen her somewhere before.

Blake didn't dare to speak as the woman pulled out a clipboard and began to jot things down, feeling her heart rate rise and her stomach clench under the woman's eye. If They had something so cruel planned that it involved an entire change of scenery, Blake wasn't eager to find out what it was.

"You had quite the nap. Thirty-six hours! I must say, that's impressive." The woman chuckled heartfully, messing around with a monitor next to Blake's bed. "Now Professor Ozpin wants regular updates on your condition, but because you're of age I'm obligated to get your consent before giving him any information regarding your health. So-"

"Ozpin?" Blake rasped urgently, surprised at the sound of her own voice. She almost bit her tongue afterward, preparing herself for a beating for speaking out of turn. But then the logical side of her brain, one that hadn't made an appearance for God knows how long, spoke up. They'd never mentioned Ozpin before, not once. Of course it could all be for some elaborate torture session, but this small sliver of a chance that Ozpin was nearby had her so hopeful that she didn't care. "You… Ozpin?" Her voice came out a lot scratchier than she had anticipated, barely as loud as a whisper.

"Do I know him?" Blake nodded. "Have for as long as I've worked here." The woman smiled. "Is that your expressed consent?"

Blake's mind raced with a million thoughts. Although it was fuzzy, she could remember feeling cold air hit her face. A quiet mechanical hum. And…

 _Yang._

"Yang." Blake stated simply, looking around the sterile white room. If she truly was safe, this would be some sort of hospital. Most likely Beacon's infirmary.

"Who's Yang, sweetheart?" The woman asked, jotting down something else on her clipboard.

"Blonde. Yang." Blake tried moving her arm once again, finding that this time the heavy limb moved the way her brain told it to. Painfully, she pushed herself into a sitting position. The woman nodded before scurrying away, either heading off to find Ozpin or Yang. Blake hoped it was the latter.

The pressure in her head intensified almost immediately, her sinuses and throat feeling as though a burning fire was brewing inside of her. Before she could make any attempt to stop herself, Blake spewed the contents of her stomach (which wasn't all that much, considering the largest meal she'd had in the last three weeks was a few pieces of bread) all over her front and the bedsheets.

Yang followed the school nurse briskly, fidgeting with the bandage on her right hand. Ruby forced her down to the infirmary shortly after the incident with the desk. It wasn't broken, but she did manage to sprain her wrist. But the pain from the injury was the last thing on her mind.

Blake was awake.

Professor Ozpin had gotten hold of her by scroll, delivering the news and telling Yang that Blake was asking for her. Yang didn't even bother changing out of her somewhat revealing pyjamas before booting it out the door.

"How is she?" The blonde asked as they walked. The nurse shrugged.

"I can't say much to you without her consent, sweetpea." She sighed. "But she can talk without much trouble."

Yang stopped with the nurse outside of one the many rooms of the infirmary. "I want you to brace yourself, honey." The nurse warned, shoving her clipboard under her arm and pushing the door open.

Nothing could've prepared Yang for what she was seeing. Blake, covered in sick, staring wide-eyed at the wall in front of her. She didn't even look like she registered the vomit covering her front.

"Oh, sweetie." The nurse sighed, swiftly removing the puke covered blanket from the Faunus. Fortunately, that was the only thing she'd hit. Her hospital gown remained a sterile white.

Yang breathed shakily as she took in the sight of her partner. Nearly every visible area of her skin was heavily bandaged, save for her face which only housed a few band-aids. Blake's breaths were going in and out rapidly, and she would surely pass out if she kept it up.

"Hey, welcome back." Yang smiled awkwardly, situating herself at the end of the bed. Yang wasn't sure what else to say. _Sorry you were tortured for weeks? Sorry it took me so long to find you?_

The Faunus blinked a few times as if she was trying to process the blonde's words. "Yang?"

"Yeah." Yang exhaled. Blake didn't seem upset. But that's what worried her. She expected Blake to be screaming, crying doing _something_ other than just sitting there.

"You need anything?" Yang offered, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen between them. Blake nodded.

"Water." Yang nodded, pacing over to the water cooler on the other side of the room.

Yang felt her stomach drop as she held the cup to Blake's lips, helping her partner get the water down. Blake lapped at the water greedily as if it were one of the first things she'd had to drink for weeks. _It probably was,_ Yang told herself.

Blake stopped suddenly, sitting back. Her body was rigid and still. Yang placed down the cup next to the bed, her eyes meeting Blake's as she sat back up. Blake said nothing, just staring down into her lap. The blonde didn't push her friend to speak, instead allowing the silence between them to speak for itself.

The nurse returned shortly after, accompanied by a fresh blanket and a plate of food. _Not exactly a meal,_ Yang thought, glancing at the tray next to Blake's bed. It hardly contained enough food to call it a snack. The Faunus glanced at the tray but quickly shook her head in dismissal.

"Blake, come on." Yang pushed the tray toward her friend. She denied it once again.

"She might not be ready for anything yet. Just see to it she eats before you leave, alright?" The nurse spoke from the doorway. Yang nodded, watching the woman leave.

"Come on Blake, you'll feel a lot better if you eat." Yang urged the Faunus, doing her best at encouraging her. Blake continued to refuse the small meal. Yang eventually gave up, sitting back and waiting.

"I'm sorry it took us so long to find you." Yang apologized suddenly. Blake's amber eyes met Yang's violet ones.

"No. It's my fault." That must've been the longest sentence to come out of Blake's mouth since Yang had gotten there. She placed her hand over partners.

"Nothing that happened to you was your fault. It was Torchwick, not you. You know that, right?"

Her partner remained silent.


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: Super short chapter, ugh. This is pretty much just a filler. Pretty soon it'll be so angsty up in here that I'll be on a writing roll. Enjoy!**_

This went on for a few days, Yang arriving early in the morning and not leaving until someone forced her to. Visitors trickled in and out of the room constantly, but none stayed for very long. It was hard to see the Faunus like this.

"Miss Xiao Long, a word?" The blonde perked her head up when she heard Professor Ozpin's voice from the doorway. She glanced over toward her partner; Blake was sleeping soundly, possibly for the first time since she'd been rescued. Yang was sure it wouldn't hurt to step out for a few minutes.

"Miss Belladonna's almost ready to leave the infirmary, as you know." Yang nodded. "But her further care needs to be discussed."

"Is she going back to Menagerie?"

"She's requested to stay at Beacon. The problem at hand is that she will require round the clock care, and she cannot simply stay in the infirmary for that."

"So you want me to do it?" Yang was intimidated at the thought.

"Not just you, so to speak. Your team. Blake trusts you more than anyone, so she'd be comforted to know she'd be in your care. She'd stay at the infirmary during class time, and one of your teammates would retrieve her and care for her in your room during the evening and night. Both Miss Rose and Miss Schnee have agreed to this arrangement."

"I'll do it," Yang spoke without a second thought. "She'd do the same for me."

"Excellent. I will inform the staff that a member of your team will be retrieving Miss Belladonna after your classes tomorrow." Ozpin nodded and was off before Yang could respond.

The idea of being responsible for Blake was terrifying to Yang. But as Yang stared down at the sleeping Faunus, a thought entered her mind. _You could've lost her._ Suddenly, the idea of caring for her partner didn't seem so intimidating.


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: This chapter has non-graphic depictions of rape Please don't read if this triggers you!  
Otherwise, please enjoy!**_

Yang observed the figure of her partner staring off into space, pillows stacked behind her in her bed to let her sit up comfortably. In the two weeks since Blake had been released from the infirmary, she hadn't done much but what she was doing now; staring at the wall and taking shallow, shaky breaths. The head nurse had assured Yang that Blake was not bedridden, that it just may take the Faunus some time to get up and moving again.  
"Hey, I found a movie we can watch," Yang spoke, trying to sound casual. Blake continued being unresponsive. "Hey, Earth to Belladonna."

"Huh?" Blake turned to the blonde suddenly. Her voice was no longer scratchy and quiet, but almost entirely back to normal. "Oh, sorry."  
"No worries." Yang situated herself onto the foot of the bed. "Um… what were you thinking about, anyway?"  
Blake's eyes widened before she began staring down into her lap. "What movie?"  
Yang felt disheartened at her partner avoiding the question, but didn't want to pry.

"Just a cartoon. Figured you'd like it."

"I uh… I don't really want to watch a movie right now."

"No worries."

Yang transferred herself to Weiss' bunk, as she always did when Blake was like this. Today was most definitely going to be one of those days, with the sky clouded and dark and the cold air seeping in through the poorly insulated window. Blake would be sluggish, unmotivated, and in an all-around horrible mood. The blonde knew that the nightmares would be worse today, too, the ones that would come inevitably whether it was gorgeous or miserable outdoors. They were always worse when it was miserable.

Soon enough Yang found herself dozing off, the lack of conversation between her and her partner and the sound of the rain falling outside lulling her to sleep.

 _I'm not there anymore. I'm at Beacon. I'm not there anymore. I'm at Beacon._

Blake found herself repeating this over and over in her head as she clamped her eyes shut, trying to ward of the phantom hands that she felt in places that she hated them being. No matter how many times she told herself that she was no longer captive, she still felt tinges of pain and heard whispers that sounded a little too much like the voice of Roman Torchwick.

When she opened her eyes, a different scene was set before her. It was dark, dingy, and the smell that invaded her nose nearly caused her to vomit. The last thing she took notice of, though, was probably the most disturbing:  
She was naked, and her arms and legs were restrained.

The instinct to struggle came immediately, the rough bonds rubbing her skin raw. She already knew what was coming.  
And she'd rather die than experience it all over again.

"Blake! Awake, I see."  
 _no no no_  
She heard Torchwick step closer.  
 _stop, please_  
She heard a zipper being pulled down.  
 _please just let me die instead_

She screamed her throat raw, but by the time Torchwick had finished she couldn't even muster a protest.

Screaming.  
Yang jumped from the bed the second she heard it, racing swiftly to Blake's side. The Faunus had broken out into a cold sweat, and she'd started thrashing about and effectively entangling herself in the blankets. Yang was almost afraid to touch her. She'd never witnessed Blake having a nightmare this bad before.

"Blake, hey!" She called, lightly shaking her partner's shoulder. "You're safe!"  
It took another moment for the Faunus to open her eyes, lurching forward almost immediately. She gave Yang a pleading look.  
"Are you gonna be sick?" Yang asked gently. Blake nodded.

Yang grabbed the trash can and sat by as Blake emptied her stomach of what little contents occupied it. The blonde rubbed her partner's back soothingly, muttering quiet reassurances to the Faunus. After what seemed like an eternity of vomiting and dry heaving, she finally put the bucket down and began to sob into Yang's arms.

"I tried to stop him, Yang," Blake spoke between heaves, "I did, but he-"  
"I know, Blake, I know-"  
"No, you don't."  
"I know what happened to you in there, Blake, I know it wasn't your fault that they did those things-"  
"He _raped_ me, Yang!" Blake suddenly called loudly, and she became conscious of whether or not those in the rooms near them could hear her.  
"He…- He _what_?" A look of anger and hatred suddenly filled Yang's eyes.

"Blake, why didn't you tell me?"  
"Because I could've stopped him," She kept her eyes downcast, tears no longer forming in them. "If I hadn't fought with Weiss-"  
"You can't blame yourself like that!" Yang cut the Faunus off. "It wasn't your fault!"  
"I didn't even try."  
"And it's not your fault that you didn't try."  
"I thought he'd hurt me more."  
"And it made sense to think that way."

Yang eventually situated herself back in Weiss' bunk. Before long Blake was laying down as she had been previously, staring off at nothing in particular once again. A sudden thought entered her mind, one that she hadn't thought of much since her time in captivity.

She'd rather be dead than bear the burden of those memories.


	8. Chapter 8

**_AN: I'M ALIVE! Had so many tests between November and Christmas that I didn't have time to work on this fic. This chapter kinda sucks but I'll try to make the next one better. Hopefully once midterms blow over next month I'll finally get this finished!_** ** _TW: This chapter deals with self harm and a suicide attempt. Read with caution!_**

Blake tried. She tried, and tried, and tried harder than she ever had in her entire life. But not matter what she did, the thought of ending her life only seemed more and more appealing as the nightmares and flashbacks dragged on.

Her friends shouldn't have been needing to care for her like she was a child. They shouldn't have to be staying up late to make sure Blake didn't have nightmares while they were asleep. She was so pathetic that her teammates couldn't leave her alone for more than a few minutes, or else they'd come back to a thrashing, screaming, sobbing mess that was convinced that it was still captive.

Her team could never understand what'd happened to her. She knew that they were there for her, that they cared, but she also saw how tired they'd gotten and how they never seemed to laugh anymore. Not even Ruby so much as cracked a smile. They wouldn't have been this way before.

She did this to them.

Yang had just left to use the bathroom- "Be back quick as a flash," She promised, and Blake knew that she'd bought herself at least five minutes of alone time. She could do this. By the time Yang got back, it'd be too late to save her anyway.

She tore open the drawer to the bedside table, rummaging through the pile of knick knacks until she felt her hand touch something cool and metal. She hated the fact that she'd stolen the razor blade from the infirmary, but it wasn't as if she could return it at this point.

What would the rest of her life be if she didn't go through with this? Living in constant fear and being haunted by nightmares and memories? When Ozpin had visited her in the infirmary he told her this would pass, but now she only heard his words as lies.

She nearly cried out as the blade first made contact with her skin, keeping her teeth barred and hissing harshly when she dragged it vertically. This was it. No going back now.

Remember when we used to do this, Blake?

No. Roman Torchwick couldn't get anywhere near Beacon. That wasn't his voice whispering in her ear, she didn't really feel his breath on her neck, and the gash on her forearm was her own doing. He couldn't hurt her here.

Blake sucked in a deep breath as she created another slit on the same arm, not nearly as deep.

You can't get away from me. You'll never get away from me.

"Shut up!" She shrieked, tossing the blade as far as she could and clamping her eyes shut, holding her hands over her ears and praying that Torchwick's voice would just go away. "Shut up shut up shut up!"

She barely heard the door open and she most certainly missed Yang's frantic speech pattern, only responding when Yang placed her hands on the Faunus' shoulders. "Get off me!"

"Blake, Blake, listen to me." Yang spoke gently through her partner's shrieking, trying to make herself heard but also to not put Blake in any further distress. She tried her hardest to disguise the tremor in her voice. "We need to bring you to the infirmary, okay? You're gonna need stitches."

Blake showed minimal signs of listening, taking her hands off of her ears and slowing her breathing. "Tell me what's happening. Tell me what you're seeing."

"He won't stop," Blake explained tearfully to her teammate. "Make him stop!"

"Torchwick isn't here. He can't get you." Yang glanced quickly down at the crimson flowing from Blake's wound. "Come on, if you don't let me bring you down I'm gonna have to call someone."

It was only after that last sentence that Blake drew in a deep, shaky breath, opening her eyes to look at her partner. "Yang?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me."

"It really hurts."

"Are you gonna let me take you downstairs?"

"Yeah."

Yang threw Blake's good arm around her shoulder, helping her up and aiding her in hobbling downstairs. Yang felt so incredibly stupid.

Who takes five minutes to use the bathroom? What if she'd been too late? Blake could've died because of how irresponsible she'd been. Her partner could've…

She could've killed herself.

And that was something that Yang would never be able to forgive herself for.


End file.
